Where to Get Craft Beer in Shanghai

Craft beer is a growth industry in Shanghai, loads of options inside

With international beer giants coming and the local craft movement emerging, Shanghai’s craft beer selection is now bigger than ever, and it looks like it's about to grow even more. This is our guide on where to get craft beer in Shanghai.

Located in the newly constructed Shikumen-style compound Feng Sheng Li, Goose Island Brewhouse is the first Shanghai branch of the popular Chicago craft brewhouse brand. There are at least 15 craft beers on tap, including the ones brewed exclusively for Shanghai, such as Line 12 Wit (RMB38/330ml, RMB58/480ml) and Loose Goose IPA (RMB38/330ml, RMB58/480ml). Try the “Sour Sisters” series, a beer aged with fresh fruit in wine barrels. And get a Chicago Platter (RMB198), a combo with house-cured duck ham, pastrami and bresaola, to accompany your booze.

Founded way back in 2008, this home-grown microbrewery has since come a long way, with three branches around town and a recent acquisition by the beer behemoth AB InBev. Offering some of the best craft beers in town, their brewmaster Michael Jordan won a silver medal at 2016 World Beer Cup, a first for any Chinese craft brewery. House beers on tap are RMB50 for 500ml or RMB35 on Sundays. You can get classic American bar food and play bar games like pools and darts.

Aside from their vast international beverage selection, The Brew has five classic handcrafted beers, three Brewmaster's Choice creations and one cider brewed onsite, by the resident brewmaster. With a patio facing the Century Park, The Brew has a huge beer garden and is a good place to watch sports. Although their beer is on the pricey side, you can come for the daily happy hour at 3pm – 8pm for the buy-one-get-one deal.

The Beer Lady
With literal walls of beers, The Beer Lady has the most extensive beer selection in town. From top notch European craft beer to the cheap local favorites, you can find more than what you're looking for. To pair with the immensity of the beer selection, there is also an enormous seating area on the second floor with long communal tables; it's a great place to chill. Their new location has an alley area for outdoor seating. The best part? It is open 24 hours so you can get your beer crave satisfied any time of the day.

A craft beer forerunner in Shanghai, Liquid Laundry is a gastro lounge owned by Kelly Lee, the restaurateur behind Boxing Cat Brewery. With an onsite brewery, Liquid Laundry has more than a dozen craft beers on tap, more than half of which are originals. Aside from regular bar snacks, there is a wide selection of modern American food options, like sandwiches, pizzas and house-smoked bacon. The industrial style decor, spacious seating and local DJ spinning tracks during weekends all make Liquid Laundry a great place to hang out.

Dr. Beer is well known among the beer nerds in Shanghai as one of the earliest places in Shanghai to serve craft beers. With plentiful bar seating in the industrial style interior, Dr. Beer serves five types of craft beers and one seasonal brew on tap. Dr. Beer has successfully tapped the local market and has adjusted its beers to accommodate local tastes. That means lighter and less bitter. You can get a Dr. Beer Tasting (RMB68) to sample all five of their house-brewed beers.

One of the best-known craft beer brands around the world, World of Beer has 41 taps and close to 400 bottled varieties. There are special pairing instructions and tasting flights on the beer menu for you experience a variety of beers. Coming with the beer are all kinds of bar snacks and dishes in enormous portions. screens make the space a great place for watching sports, too.

Brew Bear
Their third location in Shanghai after Julu Lu and Daxue Lu, the LOFT location is a much bigger space and has a wider beer selection. There are 32 draft beers and a large selection of bottled options. Try the Australian Ale, Temple Bicycle (RMB30 for 330ml), or Blue Porter Amber Lager (RMB30 for 330ml), for a refreshing taste in the humidity and heat of Shanghai's summer.

Tap House
Tap House has one of the widest selections of international craft beers in Shanghai and more than 18 taps in each of their three locations. Their Taixing location has great al fresco seating in the Zhong Courtyard and a spacious patio on the second floor. Get a juicy burger or a roast pork hock, or visit during their daily happy hour for a buy-one-get-one-free deal. They also have a Hongmei Lu location near Laowaijie.

Daga Brewpub has more than 40 taps for draft beers sourced from different cities in China. They also swap their selections each season to introduce more Chinese breweries; try the Babyfat from Master Gao, a Nanjing brewery, and sit on their rooftop terrace a summer night.

Located in Found 158, Zapfler is a German microbrewery that offers an array of house-brewed craft beers and ciders. The one that has gathered the most attention is the Zapfler Smoked Beer (RMB50), a malty beer with a hint of banana and orange. Get some German bar snacks like curry wurst (RMB28) or Schnitzel (RMB38), and chill out al fresco in the courtyard of Found 158.

Closing at 11pm daily, Jackie’s Beer Nest used to be a tiny neighborhood bar serving a huge collection of beer. Providing over twenty taps and lots bottled options, the owner Jackie is a friendly beer guru. Highlights are the 8 Wired and the Tuatara, both from New Zealand. Their new location is in the basement of Hamburg House, on the site of 2010 World Expo.

With a terrace that overlooks Tianzifang, Kaiba is a Belgian beer bar that has 10 drafts on tap and over 100 Belgian and craft beers. While their usual menu can be a bit pricey, the beer-of-the-month promotions feature cheap deals on real Trappist ales and specialty beer. They also have two other locations at Jing’an and Changning.

The Hop Project with a healthy row of craft brews on tap. They also do quite a few tap takeovers, featuring craft beers froma round the world—their most recent being a six-month takeover with BrewDog beers. Along with the beers and good vibes, they also serve grilled cheese sandwiches by Co. Cheese.